I was with my mother and siblings yesterday. As you may remember, all of my siblings have heart disease. My brother said a tried and true method to reduce cholesterol is to drink one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar a day. He has been doing it for quite some time.

He recommended it to a man who is a marathon runner with a very strict diet who had tried several different cholesterol-lowering meds with no effect. Apparently, the 1tbsp of apple cider vinegar dropped his cholesterol over 50 point in just three months

Has anyone heard of this? While I know that ACV is an avoid for O nonnies, I sure would rather take this than a statin and it is also incredibly inexpensive.

I would NOT recommend taking something that is specifically an avoid. Unless Dr D has indicated it specifically for some reason.

Also deciding whether it is better to eat one kind of avoid rather than taking a medicine that isn't even statistically beneficial (statins) is perhaps approaching the problem from a strange angle.

eating correctly usually solves the problem and "cholesterol problem" doesn't seem to hold up. I can recommend a good book written by a friend "the great cholesterol con" by Malcolm Kendrick.

I remember a old school friend saying that he would rather take statins as it enables him to eat all the cake and lobster that he needs - He is is no longer around, died age 49, which is a great shame.

I would NOT recommend taking something that is specifically an avoid. Unless Dr D has indicated it specifically for some reason.

Also deciding whether it is better to eat one kind of avoid rather than taking a medicine that isn't even statistically beneficial (statins) is perhaps approaching the problem from a strange angle.

eating correctly usually solves the problem and "cholesterol problem" doesn't seem to hold up. I can recommend a good book written by a friend "the great cholesterol con" by Malcolm Kendrick.

I remember a old school friend saying that he would rather take statins as it enables him to eat all the cake and lobster that he needs - He is is no longer around, died age 49, which is a great shame.

While I appreciate your advice, PC, given my family history of premature, signficant heart disease, I am not in much of a position to be worrying about the "cholesterol con" theory. My siblings range in age from 64-60 and all three have had bypass surgery and a second procedure to place stents. Two of the three had heart attacks and went into cardiac arrest. All of my paternal male cousins have heart disease, and my father and all of his siblings died of heart disease issues between the ages of 49-63.

In my view, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar may be the lesser of two evils when one considers heart disease versus a tiny amount of an avoid. I did look into lecithin, but it is generally made from soy. Also I know there is an egg based lecithin product, but it is very expensive and difficult to find. Also, I am trying to not take so many supplements. The cost of the supplements is becoming cost prohibitive.

I checked the typebase for cider vinegar, and while it is an avoid for O nonnies, it does not say why it is an avoid, as it does for the other blood types.

Given the fact that I am VERY compliant on my diet in general, I would imagine that a tiny amount of an avoid would not do serious harm.

"soy lecithin basically just has the molecule left that you need. He is comfortable with the purity of the soy but doesn't have enough evidence on the other lecithins.There is no protein left in the soy lecithin".

and you decided that you would comply with some but not all of the recommendations. and you then came back many years later and said that the theory didn't work, even though you actually didn't follow the recommendations. i.e eating a bit a wheat, a bit of corn and a bit of apple cider vinegar. people might follow you thinking and also not follow the original advice because it didn't work for you. (even though again you didn't actually follow the advice)

The above is what addiction is, you (generic you) follow the advice that allows you to cheat and justify it any which way but loose (play on words).

whether it is because of a rare blood antigen or a what ever you either have to believe and work harder at it or end up like mercola with diabetes that he blames on everyone except his own addiction to cake!

Now please note I'm writing this because i feel i have to not because I'm trying to oppress anyone, I've tried doing this in the past using humour but some people didn't get the humour. so here it is in black and white meant with the very best intentions.

because once you try something and them let it settle into your life you become complacent with it and you then reply on it more so what starts out as taking a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar every other day becomes a tablespoonful every day, and that can't have the same effect on all the blood groups the same. remember the basics O's high acid. A's low acid. O nonnies being the most sensitive.

"soy lecithin basically just has the molecule left that you need. He is comfortable with the purity of the soy but doesn't have enough evidence on the other lecithins.There is no protein left in the soy lecithin".

I bought the granules and put a little in juice.

Jane

Has it helped your cholesterol, Jane?

Personally, I do shy away from anything derived from soy, given the many issues associated with soy, hormonal issues among them.

and you decided that you would comply with some but not all of the recommendations. and you then came back many years later and said that the theory didn't work, even though you actually didn't follow the recommendations. i.e eating a bit a wheat, a bit of corn and a bit of apple cider vinegar. people might follow you thinking and also not follow the original advice because it didn't work for you. (even though again you didn't actually follow the advice)

The above is what addiction is, you (generic you) follow the advice that allows you to cheat and justify it any which way but loose (play on words).

whether it is because of a rare blood antigen or a what ever you either have to believe and work harder at it or end up like mercola with diabetes that he blames on everyone except his own addiction to cake!

Now please note I'm writing this because i feel i have to not because I'm trying to oppress anyone, I've tried doing this in the past using humour but some people didn't get the humour. so here it is in black and white meant with the very best intentions.

because once you try something and them let it settle into your life you become complacent with it and you then reply on it more so what starts out as taking a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar every other day becomes a tablespoonful every day, and that can't have the same effect on all the blood groups the same. remember the basics O's high acid. A's low acid. O nonnies being the most sensitive.

PC, my cholesterol went up on the diet - not down. No matter what anyone thinks about HOW I manage my cholesterol, I imagine that Dr. D and other natural health care practitioners would be the first to admit that with my family history, I need to do SOMETHING to manage my cholesterol. Recently, I had some genetic testing related to cardiovascular disease. I definitely have SNP's on the genes that regulate cholesterol metabolism. My body needs assistance with this - period! Unfortunately, many of the known natural remedies for lowering cholesterol are problematic in some way or another for O nonnies, who normally don't have problems with cholesterol metabolism like I do.

I do understand you are advising me with the best of intentions and I appreciate that, but somehow, having watched all three of my siblings endure bypass surgery and the long, painful recovery from that surgery as well as watching two of them endure the damaging affects of heart attack, I feel I have been given a window into my potential future. My sister's heart attack and bypass surgery has had a profound affect on me. Two weeks ago, she had to undergo another procedure to place a stent to open one of the grafts, as it was closing down in three places. She had her bypass surgery less than a year ago, in December of 2010.

Sometimes diet and exercise are not enough. In my particular case, I think it is safe to assume that diet and exercise may not be enough. To offer the opposite perspective, I would also hate to find myself awaking from bypass surgery after a heart attack and thinking, I wish I had taken the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar once a day.

This is exactly what i meant Patty - you keep saying you stick the diet yet you are forever saying that you actually don't, you can't have it both ways

which cholesterol went up was it the triglycerides? are you on any medication? without a very detailed account of you own situation every time you say such a thing might be the reason why someone stops the diet which even you seem to love despite everything.

With the greatest of respect and sadness at their poor health Did the rest of your family eat right for their type and if so for how long. did they all take statins if they did then there diet probably didn't improve and that is the danger, the same with supposed apple cider vinegar (especially for nonnie O. what blood type are the rest of your family?

Also if you read about the cholesterol con you will find that high cholesterol may not be the only issue, and perhaps not even an issue at all.

i recommend you read he book (period)

now forgive me but i have to play with my daughter, My allowed time on here is expired until tonight when i start studying again.

This is exactly what i meant Patty - you keep saying you stick the diet yet you are forever saying that you actually don't, you can't have it both ways

which cholesterol went up was it the triglycerides? are you on any medication? without a very detailed account of you own situation every time you say such a thing might be the reason why someone stops the diet which even you seem to love despite everything.

With the greatest of respect and sadness at their poor health Did the rest of your family eat right for their type and if so for how long. did they all take statins if they did then there diet probably didn't improve and that is the danger, the same with supposed apple cider vinegar (especially for nonnie O. what blood type are the rest of your family?

Also if you read about the cholesterol con you will find that high cholesterol may not be the only issue, and perhaps not even an issue at all.

i recommend you read he book (period)

now forgive me but i have to play with my daughter, My allowed time on here is expired until tonight when i start studying again.

PC, I am not sure why you say that I don't stick to the diet. Maybe you are referring to my thread on IgG testing? If that is what you are referring to, then you need to go back and re-read my posts. I did not say I was eating wheat and dairy - I said that I ate it leading up to the test for two weeks because I was advised to add all the foods I had given up, particularly the big ones like wheat and dairy. I stopped eating wheat and dairy once my blood was drawn and have not been eating it at all, regardless of the fact that I am neither gluten intolerant or celiac. I rarely cheat. I might have a small cheat once a week, sometimes as little as once a month. Your information regarding my compliance is incorrect. I consider myself to be highly compliant. Most days throughout the month I am 100% compliant. I also exercise 4-6 days a week.

No; my siblings do not eat for their type. This, however, does not mean that just because I do eat for my type, my family history has no impact on my health. Family history is considered the strongest predictor of health. My genetic testing confirms my genetic tendency for cardiovascular disease. My intake form with Dr. Nash had a strong emphasis on family health history. SWAMI as well. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure in September 2010, despite the fact that I am not overweight. It was my LDL that went up on the diet. Also my CRP skyrocketed on the diet.

According to Dr. D, page 247 of Eat Right For Your Type:

Quoted Text

The blood type connection between good health and disease is a potent tool in our search for the best way to treat the body as it is meant to be treated.

Still, I must add a caveat, lest you think that I am proposing a magic formula. Ther are many factors in every individual life that contribute to disease. It would be overly simplistic and certainly foolish to suggest that blood type is the sole determining factor. If a Type O, a Type A, a Type B, and a Type AB each drank a cup of arsenic, each of them would die. By the same token, if four people of different blood types were all heavy smokers, they would all be susceptible to lung cancer.

The blood type information is not a panacea, but a meaningful refinement that will enable you to function at your peak.

I think Dr. D would agree that the Genotype Diet, while a great diet, cannot possibly give me 100% certainty that I will not experience the cardiac disease so prevalent in my family, and also encoded in my own genes.

Futhermore, I do understand that cholesterol is not the only factor in cardiovascular disease. I own Dr. D's book on Cardiovascular disease and he quite clearly goes through how the different blood types come to develop cardiovascular disease. According to the quiz on pages 6 & 7, I am still at moderate to high risk of cardiovascular disease, despite the changes to my diet.

I have no intention of living in denial over my risk factors for cardiovascular disease. They are real and they are the ONLY reason I am on the diet in the first place. Lowering my LDL and total cholesterol are my main goals, along with lowering my CRP. These two indicators combined are not good for someone with my genetic profile and terrible family history.

I appreciate your concern, but I hope that you will take my word for the fact that I am highly compliant on the diet. Probably more so than most!

Patty - I was happy to see that I can have lecithin as a neutral as it is good to help emulsify fats and sans gallbladder I need all the help that I can get. Both of us get it as a neutral - me Explorer - husband Hunter.

I have steered away from soy for several years due to the thyroid-soy connection. I am enjoying it on my hot cereals; I don't cook it in, put it on top in my bowl and blend it in. It makes it nice and creamy and not that I drank milk, never liked it, but I imagine for those who used to put milk/cream on their hot cereal they would enjoy this. I use 1 Tablespoon.

The company NOW makes non-gmo lecithin granules in a large canister and it is kept in the coolers at the HFS. They are the only company that make non-gmo lecithin according to the owner. I believe this would be very good for you.

I feel empathy for you and your situation and it is great that you are keeping on top of it.Don't forget the nostril breathing, it's a life saver!

Patty - I was happy to see that I can have lecithin as a neutral as it is good to help emulsify fats and sans gallbladder I need all the help that I can get. Both of us get it as a neutral - me Explorer - husband Hunter.

I have steered away from soy for several years due to the thyroid-soy connection. I am enjoying it on my hot cereals; I don't cook it in, put it on top in my bowl and blend it in. It makes it nice and creamy and not that I drank milk, never liked it, but I imagine for those who used to put milk/cream on their hot cereal they would enjoy this. I use 1 Tablespoon.

The company NOW makes non-gmo lecithin granules in a large canister and it is kept in the coolers at the HFS. They are the only company that make non-gmo lecithin according to the owner. I believe this would be very good for you.

I feel empathy for you and your situation and it is great that you are keeping on top of it.Don't forget the nostril breathing, it's a life saver!

Thanks for the info on the non-gmo lecithin. I have been toying with the idea of trying it, but hesitated for that reason along with the hormonal issues associated with soy products.

I have not tried the nostril breathing and need to start doing that ASAP!!! Thanks for the reminder, Diane.

BTW, I just got off the phone with my cardiologist. She ordered advanced cholesterol screening on me over a week ago. She had been out of town and wanted to let me know that my results were in and that ALL my numbers are excellent, including my CRP!!! I do not have small particle LDL either! Yoohoo!!! Shouting from the rooftops!!! So incredibly happy!!! I was on hydrochlorothiazide for my high blood pressure and my cholesterol went up after going on that. I was able to lower my BP through exercise and came off the HCTZ. Also I have been seeing a local natural health practitioner who has me on a supplement regimen meant to lower my CRP, etc. Clearly all of this intervention, along with my diet, has been working.

Patty,Gorgeous day. Just got back from playing a little golf!Just started with the lecithin a couple of weeks ago and haven't had any tests since then. Happy to hear that your tests came back so much better!Jane

Patty,Gorgeous day. Just got back from playing a little golf!Just started with the lecithin a couple of weeks ago and haven't had any tests since then. Happy to hear that your tests came back so much better!Jane